Gage: A Love Under the Lights Novel

by Paige, Rochelle

  I wasn’t surprised that one of the photographers noticed Jasper and I talking. We’d been a mega-couple on our soap opera, the biggest since Luke and Laura. We’d both pushed each other forward in our careers and had taken leaps of faith that allowed us to leave the show at the same time. Our characters were written off in a fiery crash at the conclusion of a three-month kidnapping saga. Eighteen months later, our characters were recast and the difference in appearance was attributed to plastic surgery. Soap operas were awesome for stuff like that.

  I smiled as Jasper wrapped his arm around my waist and turned me so we could pose for the photo. As he did, I bumped into something with my hip. I looked over my shoulder and found myself staring down at the most erotically beautiful man on the planet. It took another two blinks for me to realize that the man I was looking at was none other than Gage Ryan.

  He was the full package, a legend in his own time. All six foot two inches of him was pure grade A gorgeous. At forty-two, he’d never been married and was on the record as saying he didn’t believe in it. He was also blunt about not wanting children. Many men would’ve come off as douchebags for saying that but not him. Gage was beloved in Hollywood; from actors to directors to producers to people who worked behind the scenes, everyone had something nice to say about him. One of my secret goals was to do a movie with him at some point.

  When I met his gaze, it was so electrifying that the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I felt almost hypnotized by the sensations that zigzagged through my body. His hazel eyes were just about as wide as I knew mine were. Whatever was happening, I believed he felt it too. At least I thought he did. Right until his expression turned ice cold.

  I nibbled at my bottom lip as color flooded my cheeks. “I’m so sorry—”

  He waved his hand dismissively and turned away from me. “It’s nothing,” he said over his shoulder, his voice stiff.

  I frowned, miffed by his rudeness.

  “Maybe next time she’ll pay attention to what’s around her,” a snotty voice snipped.

  I grimaced as I looked to my right and saw that Kerri was sitting across the table from Gage. “Ignore her,” Jasper murmured, pulling my attention back to him. “Let’s take this picture.”

  I nodded as I turned back to the photographer, barely remembering to smile before the flash went off.

  After the photo was taken, Jasper and I resumed our conversation, but it was difficult to focus since Kerri was giving me a death glare and I suspected Gage was eavesdropping on us. I swore I could feel his eyes on me, which made me anxious. Unable to keep from fidgeting, I made my excuses to Jasper and then scurried back to my table.

  I wanted to forget the whole thing, but I couldn’t because every time I looked up for the next few hours, I found Gage looking at me. He’d look away as if he was annoyed whenever our gazes met, only for it to happen again a few minutes later. When he got up and walked away from his table, I let out my first deep breath of the night.

  Two

  Gage

  I’d expected to have a fairly laid-back night at the Globes since I wasn’t one of the nominees this year, but Morgan Kelly blew any semblance of calm out of the water by capturing my attention when she bumped into me. I knew who she was, Hollywood was a small world, after all, but we’d never run in the same circles. Now that her leading role in Dimming Her Light had garnered her a nomination, that was going to change. She’d proved her acting chops, and it only made sense that we’d be at the same events.

  I’d been aware that Morgan was beautiful, with her unconventional combination of dark hair and bright blue eyes, but beauty was the norm with actresses, and I’d spent a lifetime surrounded by them. It took more than that to catch my eye nowadays. What I’d seen of her at a distance hadn’t prepared me for the punch she packed in person, though. My cock hardened the instant her ass touched my side. It wasn’t even a semi, sort of interested in an attractive woman hard-on, either. It was a full-fledged rod of steel.

  With my cock pressing against the zipper of my custom-tailored tuxedo slacks, I’d barely controlled the urge to adjust myself at a table full of people. Then I noticed the man standing at her side, and my hard-on was no longer a problem because one thing I never did was trespass on another man’s territory. Not even when it came in the form of a sexy as fuck, curvy as hell package like Morgan Kelly. Somehow, I managed to tear my gaze away from those startled blue eyes. It didn’t matter if she felt the spark between us the same way I did when it was obvious that she was in a relationship of some sort already.

  That didn’t stop me from wishing things were different when she walked away. It put me in a shitty mood, too. I barely paid attention to the conversation around me until my agent elbowed me in the side.

  “Try to look like you give a damn about what’s going on or else the stories in the gossip rags tomorrow will be about how you think you’re too good for the Globes unless you’re one of the nominees,” Mario hissed.

  Knowing how easy it was for the press to twist things, I did as he asked and pasted a smile on my face as I stared at the stage. I barely paid attention as they read off the names of the nominees, my gaze sliding toward Morgan more times than I wanted to admit.

  I tore my eyes away from her when I heard a scornful snort from across the table. I’d done my best to ignore Kerri Anderson as soon as I’d realized we were seated at the same table. She had a well-earned reputation for being a brat of epic proportions, which was saying a lot, considering how other people behaved in Hollywood. I had no interest in giving her even the slightest indication that I wanted to engage in a conversation—let alone anything else—with her. I was about to tell her to shut the fuck up when Jasper beat me to the punch.

  “Zip it, Kerri,” he snarled across the table. “This is Morgan’s big night, and I won’t let your jealousy ruin it for her.”

  I would have applauded him if I weren’t so busy being pissed that he had the right to have Morgan’s back when I didn’t. My nearly overwhelming urge to come to her defense was baffling since I didn’t even know the woman.

  “Jealous? As if.” Kerri sniffed. “Everyone knows I’m far more talented than Morgan Kelly.”

  “Really?” Jasper drawled. “Then why is she the one nominated for a Golden Globe, and you’re, well, not?”

  I was mildly fascinated by how red Kerri’s face turned because she looked like her head was in danger of exploding. The vein in her forehead was so pronounced it was probably visible clear across the room.

  “Yeah, but only because she lucked into a role that basically guaranteed her the nomination,” she scoffed.

  Jasper glanced at the stage, and then his gaze swept the room as he most likely tried to figure out if any cameras were pointed our way. Then he leaned forward, glaring at Kerri. “The role she beat you, and a thousand other actresses, out for? The role she played like nobody else would have been able to? The one that’s going to earn her the Globe and will probably snag her an Oscar, too?”

  Kerri rolled her eyes, looking completely unimpressed by Jasper’s tirade. “You’re just biased because she’s your girlfriend.”

  I tensed at the reminder that the man sitting next to me had the woman who’d captured my interest. Mostly, I hated that it bothered me so much.

  “Just because they called your name for your category doesn’t mean the same will happen to Morgan,” Kerri snipped. “Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, and it’d take more than a stroke of good luck for her to win.”

  “Ah, so now you’re an expert on the odds of winning,” Jasper said snidely. “You should add that to your IMDB since it’s so light on acting jobs.”

  “I’ll be around forever,” Kerri huffed. “That generic wannabe will be a memory by next award season.”

  “Sure.” Jasper snickered.

  “Fuck you, Jasper. The only reason you won’t acknowledge that she’s not going to amount to anything real is that your love for her makes you a blind fool. She’s he
re because of luck, not talent.”

  I’d gone from minor irritation to anger at this no-talent hack throwing shade at another actress during the fucking Golden Globes, of all places. It was probably in part due to hearing the dreaded “L” word in reference to Jasper and Morgan’s relationship, but I didn’t want to examine that reaction too closely.

  Since I wasn’t one to sit idly by when I was pissed off, I jumped into the argument. “My view on love is well known,” I murmured, earning me a glare from my agent. I ignored him and continued, “And I don’t know Morgan, so there’s no way in hell you can accuse me of being biased when I tell you that she will have earned that statuette if she gets it tonight.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kerri snapped.

  “And then there’s you,” I continued, as though she hadn’t spoken. “You’re sitting here spouting bullshit like a volcano even though you haven’t got a leg to stand on. You haven’t earned any of the roles you’ve been given and everyone in this room knows it. There’s zero chance of ever earning an award because that’s one string your uncle can’t pull for you, no matter how powerful he is. You’re sitting at this table because he made it happen. On your own merits, you’d be sitting a few blocks away in a bar watching this on TV.”

  “How dare you,” she gasped as Jasper reached over and patted my back.

  “I dare because you’re sitting here making a fool of yourself, and I don’t feel like putting up with it. Get ahold of yourself or find another table. Your uncle might have pull, but I guarantee the producers of the Globes care more about having Jasper and me here than they do you. One word from either of us and you'll be sitting in Siberia."

  She started to respond until she looked at my face. Realizing that I was serious, she shut her mouth and looked away.

  “That was an epic put-down. Remind me to buy you a drink later,” Jasper chuckled.

  A drink sounded damn good right about then. Something stronger than the champagne that was flowing so freely.

  “I know she’s awful but you need to keep your cool,” Mario said quietly. “It’s the start of a commercial break, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t catch you guys arguing and film it from their phone.”

  “Good point.” I pushed away from the table and stalked away. I wasn’t fast enough to miss my agent’s whisper, telling me that I’d better be back before the show was on air again. Since the Golden Globes didn’t use seat fillers, it would be a major faux pas if I weren’t in my seat for the bigger awards.

  I headed for the bathroom and just about groaned aloud when I was zipping up and noticed my tablemate out of the corner of my eye. I gave him a chin lift as I walked past him to the sinks.

  “Thanks for the help back there,” Jasper said after he finished up and washed his hands.

  I glanced at his reflection in the mirror and offered him a forced smile. “It really wasn’t a big deal.”

  “No, man. It was. If you hadn’t stepped in and shut her down the way you did, I might have done something stupid.” He shook his head as he tossed the paper towel he’d used to dry his hands in the trash can. “I’m not sure I could have held myself back much longer.”

  “I get it.” I held the door open for him when he followed me out. “You’ve got to defend your girlfriend, even if it’s in a ridiculous argument with someone like Kerri.”

  “Friend,” he said. I gave him an odd look because I didn’t understand what he meant. “Morgan isn’t my girlfriend, not in real life anyway.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks. “You and Morgan aren’t a couple?”

  He shrugged. “You know how it can be in Hollywood. We’re close friends who played a couple for so long that no one ever believes we were only romantically involved in front of the camera. Eventually, we gave up trying and just went with it. They can write whatever hell they want, both of us know the truth.”

  And now I did, too. I forgot my plan to stop at the bar as I walked back into the ballroom. Instead, my focus centered on the table where Morgan sat. Now that I knew she was single, I didn’t bother to look away when her bright blue eyes locked with mine. They widened in surprise when I flashed her a wink, and I chuckled to myself at the way she blushed and jerked forward so I couldn’t see her face.

  Nobody seemed to catch our little interaction, which was probably for the best. If they had, people would have had a field day with it since Jasper and I were seated together. I’d probably wake up to rumors about me stealing his girl, along with questions about if she’d be the one to get me to change my mind about love, marriage, and babies. Like it was with the rumors about her and Jasper, the truth wouldn’t matter—only the fact that she had a good girl reputation and they’d be curious to see if that would be enough to bring me to my knees.

  With Jasper’s connection to her no longer an issue I fully intended to explore the explosive chemistry between us. Still, I had no plans for any woman to have that much power over me. I didn’t even think it was a remote possibility that I could ever be that invested in one woman.

  But about half an hour later when I watched her walk across the stage to accept a Golden Globe for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, I surged to my feet and felt almost as proud of her as I’d been of myself when I’d won my own.

  I’d been to countless award ceremonies over the years. I’d been there when friends of mine had won and co-stars had won, and not once, while standing in the audience, did I feel the same surge of emotions.

  It was damn unsettling . . . but not enough for me to ignore whatever it was that drew me to her.

  Three

  Morgan

  It took every last bit of my impulse control not to bite my nails, and the reason for my nerves had almost nothing to do with my nomination. No, the reason I was fighting the urge to destroy my manicured nails was my reaction to Gage Ryan.

  I’d never run across him before, so it wasn’t like I could’ve offended him—at least, not to my knowledge. But the way he’d treated me felt hostile; as if I’d somehow pissed him off.

  When the show threw to commercial, Allie turned and looked me over. “You’re fidgeting. Nerves?”

  “Uh-huh.” I didn’t clarify that my nerves weren’t award related.

  “You’ll be fine,” she said sweetly. “Once they call your name, the anxiety will fade away.”

  My eyes darted toward Gage again, and my breath hitched when he winked at me. Feeling a blush spreading across my cheeks, I looked down and turned my face away. I wasn’t happy about my reaction to him at all. After spending the previous few hours doing a perfect impression of an iceberg, suddenly he was winking? It made no sense, and I found myself wondering whether he had a personality disorder. I’d never heard any stories about Gage displaying erratic behavior, nor had there been any press about it, and of course, there would have been, but his night-and-day attitude toward me was bizarre.

  I stewed about it right up until the moment they announced my name as winner of the Golden Globe. I was in a daze as the room exploded in applause, and all of the people at my table stood. Rising from my seat, I ran my hands down the front of my violet gown and took a deep breath. I hugged Allie, shook Dane’s and Garrett’s hands, hugged Shaelyn, and then fell into Gloria’s arms as I whisper thanked her for forcing me to dig deep every single day to bring that role to life. It felt as though everything was happening at warp-speed. After saying a quick thanks to the other people at my table, I made my way up onto the stage as quickly as I could.

  “Wow,” I said with a self-conscious laugh as I looked out at the audience. The pool of talent in front of me was unreal—DiCaprio, Pitt, Clooney—and, of course, Mr. Mixed Signals, Gage Ryan, who was on his feet applauding and smiling like he cared that I’d won. I looked away so I could focus on the task at hand.

  “I never thought I would win tonight. The actresses in this category possess talents that leave me in awe. Every one of you is a winner in my book, and I am proud of
the work each of us turned in. Women win when stories have depth, and that’s what we were all blessed to work with this year. I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for two women. First, to Shaelyn Riordan, who found this incredible script. Nearly everyone in town passed on it because they didn’t think it had earning potential. She knew they were wrong, and her instincts were right. She brought the script to her husband, Garrett, who agreed that it needed to be made. They then took it to Gloria Garrison, who brilliantly brought the story to life while at the same time changing mine forever,” I explained, a little warble in my voice.

  “Gloria, you’re pure class, the best example of what a woman with drive and ambition can achieve. I loved working for you, and I hope to do it again many times in the future. Your talent is surpassed only by the purity of your heart.”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat as I watched Gloria dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. I knew that my win meant the world to her, and I was deeply touched by it.

  “Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me on this journey, especially my parents who allowed me to reach for the stars. Mom, Dad, the next time I visit, I’m bringing this with me so that you can keep it on your mantle. It’s just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you to my best friend, Allie, for always having my back and for pushing me to take risks. Thanks to my agent, Dane Garrison, for taking me on. Thank you Garrett, for listening to your wife and agreeing to produce this movie. I’d also like to thank the incredible crew of the movie and, of course, the Hollywood Foreign Press. I’m more appreciative of this honor than I’ll ever be able to put into words. It means the world—thank you.”

  After I left the stage, I spent the next twenty minutes working my way through the interview process. I raced through it, anxious to get back to the table before Gloria’s category was announced. When I walked back into the ballroom and got down to the front row to head to my group, I felt Gage’s eyes on me again. I ignored him like it was my job as I took my seat before the commercial break concluded.